Call for Submissions: Yoga & Meditation Personal Portraits
Call for Submissions: Yoga & Meditation Personal Portraits
I’ve been really interested in yoga & meditation the past couple of years and would really like to get some community involvement in my artwork. Would anyone be interested in sharing their personal portraits of meditation with me?
I typically use photos as a base (like this above example of my husband Bobby) and create layers of drawings over them. I’d like to get submissions of photos of people (you) meditating, practicing calmness and restorative poses (preferably eyes closed)…and would love to include your personal mantra or prayer into the artwork. Anyone interested?
Please contact me if you’re interested. :)
Le Bouchon: New Favorite Restaurant
Bobby and I had the most amazing date last night. We headed out in search of something yummy but with no actual place in mind. It was Friday night but we weren’t looking for a loud and exciting bar-type place, we just wanted to relax, chill and try something new. As we drove around Wicker Park/Bucktown for awhile, we realized we might need some local reviews to help us make our decision.
We pulled over to check out reviews on Yelp for Duchamp, Le Bouchon, and The Bristol – 3 places we hadn’t tried yet. Duchamp it seems is better in the summer for their patio and The Bristol had been rated really well but was also named “The Publican’s Little Brother”…we weren’t really in the mood for that style food either. We never eat French yet our last name is French so we decided that was a good enough reason to choose Le Bouchon.
Walked in around 9:30pm….it was packed but with one table open (what a coincidence). ;) We sat down and were greeted with wonderful service, welcoming smiles and a list of featured menu items for the evening. Bobby ordered the Boeuf Bourguignon (Beef Braised in Red Wine) and I went with a special of the night – Sauteed Skate Fish with Spinach & Boiled Potatoes. We both enjoyed a glass of red wine and bread/butter while we waited for the food to arrive, which was also delicious.
The food we ordered didn’t seem like anything too far out of the ordinary, so I assumed I would like it and didn’t have super high expectations, but Holy Wow! – I really cannot describe how tasty every morsel of it was….it was the perfect amount of flavors and textures and portions. We both cleaned our plates, as if we hadn’t eaten in weeks. I was almost a little embarrassed when the wait staff came over to take our plates – there was literally nothing left on them!
Sarcastically, she said “I’ll have this boxed up for you” as she picked up the empty plates.
Since we hadn’t planned on going out big that night, the plan was to just have a nice entree and glass of wine and head home, but after such a spectacular meal – we really couldn’t stop ourselves. The temptation of cappuccinos and cream puffs covered in chocolate sauce became entirely too impossible to resist. We gave in and indulged in some naughty after-dinner sweets that were literally the icing on the cake.
Walking out the door, we held our heads high – triumphantly, spectacularly dazzled by our food experience. What a beautiful way to end the week! Thanks Le Bouchon – we will definitely be back!
Eat, Pray, Love Book Review – Love it
Needless to say, I really enjoyed Eat, Pray, Love – it was like listening to someone very similar to my own sensibilities figure herself out on so many levels. The biggest connection I felt was Liz’s nervous chattering mind, I felt like I could understand what she felt in so many moments – searching for a stillness, serenity, and peace of mind. Her painstaking transition into what became such a huge triumph in India with a sudden understanding for the love in her whole heart, God, spiritual stillness, peacefulness, and strength really struck a huge cord with me. And, the author’s intricate and detailed way of telling the story was so enveloping – makes me want to travel to India and find peace of mind myself.
Hover
Wow ~ two great art-making weekends in a row. I can hardly believe it. ;)
I’m so happy when I get to spend some time at home working on art and relaxing – something I need to make more of a priority in my life. Lets face it – our time is precious and if we don’t give a little time to ourselves, then what is the point? Happiness comes in a lot of different forms and maybe spending time alone isn’t for everybody, but for me its a blessing.
“Hover” 8 x 10 inches
( i look at this one and i see myself. i know that sounds weird, but it feels like somewhat of a reflection. )
Fashion Graffiti Creations
Spent a few hours today working on some drawings and I’m happy to say I have something to show for it. View the rest of the images I uploaded to Flickr by clicking the image below and let me know what you think. :)
Orange Contemporary Brunch in Chicago
Enjoying some fabulous alone time and delicious coffee with my favorite person this cloudy and gray morning at Orange. He’s having the pancake flight that includes cakes from Barcelona, Tokyo, New York, and Paris. Wish I could get the Paris Hotcakes as a regular sized dish – they are Nutella-filled…really? Nutella-filled? Holy yum!! On top of that there are sauteed bananas – I’m jealous. I’m going to try to out do him with chocolate chip pancakes – probably the most unhealthy choice on the menu, whoops. ;) Continue Reading →
Dona la vita
Deborah Kaye Haines is coming up on her 5 year anniversary for her pancreatic + kidney transplants and her daughter Meredith (a friend of mine from high school) lovingly wanted to dedicate a piece of art to her mother and her courageous story! Congrats Deb and a big thank you goes out to her donor Patrick for his life-saving donation! It’s truly amazing that perfect strangers have the compassion and love in their hearts to give their precious organs to those in need. It’s so inspiring!
Dona la vita: Donate Life. Be an organ donor and be a hero to those in need!
See more pictures of the piece on Flickr >>
Twisted Up
So, I tried as much as possible to relax and just hang out and make some art this weekend, but the wedding is 19 days away! I cannot believe it and the stress is building up like crazy – not because I should be stressed, but because I am a naturally anxiety-riddled person. I am trying to take some new vitamins called SAM-e to help me feel calm, but I’m not sure if its working or not. Hmmmm….I heard it takes almost a month to work, so I’ll probably just have to wait and see. Anyway, I just wanted to show you guys some new artwork I made over the weekend – I’m pretty stoked about it. :) Let me know which ones are your faves…
Lightopia Online – Website Design
The Lightopia Online site is a very modern e-commerce design paired with major focus on search-ability. The idea was to let the user search the large product line by style, type, or brand and follow a preferred path to the perfect lighting piece for their home, office, or venue. Focusing on high-quality materials, great craftsmanship, and honest service – the design decisions came together beautifully.
Features include: Dynamic Flash Animation, e-Commerce Interface + Checkout Process (with product options, user reviews, wish lists, send-to-a-friend feature, featured products), Advanced Filter Search Function, Contact Form with Google Map Integration, & Mighty-Site Content Management Software.
Van Drunen Farms Website Design
Love, love, love the Van Drunen Farms website that we just launched at Orbit. Andy, Liz, Jill and I had a great time touring the 1,200 acres of farm in Momence, IL . We also took a fully decked out tour (hair nets, safety glasses, and lab coats) inside the warehouse to see just how they freeze-dry, drum-dry, quick freeze (IQF), sugar-infuse, and fire-roast all the fruits, herbs, and vegetables that they produce and ship out. It was so cool!
Love the people at VDF and had a great time working on their site design.
HL Sourcing Design
It was great working with Henry-Lee & Company on the HL Sourcing website design at Orbit. We brainstormed for awhile and came up with this great slide show feature on the homepage to showcase all of their services and capabilities in materials. I think everybody was very pleased with the outcome of this site – a successful project in style and function. :)
BareWalls 2009
So yesterday I participated in the 15th annual BareWalls 2009 exhibit – a benefit to support the endowed BareWalls Scholarship Fund for aspiring students at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. It was a nerve-wracking/crazy/fun experience to make artwork live in front of the audience (on an 8-hour deadline), but I’m really glad I did it. I had the opportunity to meet a lot of new artists and really enjoyed the challenge. I was really timid at first, but finally met some really great people that got me out of my shell. The volunteers were also very helpful in hanging my pieces and bringing me food/water! Kudos to them!
The artwork you see here is my favorite finished piece out of all 5 I ended up completing for the show. Check out some of the other photos on flickr. Enjoy!
Some awesome artists I met at the show:
Lorna Filippini-Mulliken
Kathleen King
Carmel Anderson
Sandra Hart
Virginia O. Roeder